I'm a final year student of Classics at a (good) UK university. I've been thinking for some time about working abroad for a year and after recently spending a month in Greece I am really into the idea of going there. I'm considering a career in teaching (English Lit most probably) so doing some EFL work while I'm away will probably provide some useful experience, and would hopefully be more stimulating than aupair work.

I have a couple of months to make up my mind but I'm looking to make a decision by Jan/Feb at the latest so I can organise getting a teaching certificate and actually getting the ball rolling! However, I have a few questions that I wonder if you could help me with:

- does the teaching permit still require knowledge of modern Greek? (I don't have it - although I do read ancient which I'm told is half the battle)
- does anyone actually get the permit or is it more of a formality?
- is it important to have a CELTA or will any form of certificate do?
- if you sign up with an agency like Anglo-Hellenic does that tie you in to getting a job through them, or can you still search on your own? Is it better to find something yourself?
- I don't drive - will this be a hindrance?
- have you found it easy to make friends? Is there an expat community of sorts?

The teaching permit to allow you to teach in a private language school is just a formality, and you don't need any competence in Greek whatsoever - just a (translated) degree certificate. A CELTA would obviously put you a step ahead of someone who doesn't have one, but it's not really necessary. But I really wouldn't advise moving to a completely new country and taking on a completely new profession without any training whatsoever - whatever the limits of the CELTA it will give you some classroom teaching experience and point you in the right direction for many things.

Signing up with Anglo-Hellenic won't give them any kind of exclusivity agreement, and you could also try looking yourself, but you'd need to be in Greece (beginning to mid September probably best) and be willing to traipse around with your CV and then find yourself a flat, get electricity working etc etc - not easy in a new country. For a first job in Greece with no teaching experience I'd recommend using an agency as they'll probably get you a better deal than you'd be able to get yourself. After a year or two it gets easier to sort things out yourself.

I've never heard of anyone being asked to drive for a teaching job in Greece. If you're unlucky enough to have to travel around at all it'd probably be by public transport unless you actually had your own car, as most schools are too small to have pool cars or suchlike.

1)For those who have a university degree (according to the Ministry of Education):
Teaching Languages / Issuing a Teaching License to a Foreign Educator

- An application from the foreign educator in Greek, officially stamped.
- A letter from the school proposing that the foreign educator be hired.
- A copy of the employment contract in Greek, signed by the school owner or his/her representative and the educator.
- A copy of a degree held by the educator in a subject equivalent to that the school is proposing they teach.
- An official translation of their degree from the Foreign Ministry.
- Degree or teaching certificate (EDUCATION).
- Written confirmation from the educational attache at the foreign embassy, or the consul, that the foreign educator:
a) is a foreign national,
b) is qualified to teach in an equivalent state school in his/her home country.
- A certificate of good health from the outpatients' department of a Greek public hospital or an equivalent hospital in the educator's home country.
Foreign educators who are civil servants on official secondment from their own country to foreign schools or language institutes should submit the document by which they were seconded, or a document from their embassy stating that he/she is a civil servant and that they have been seconded to the specific school.
The interested party should submit the above documentation to the school. The documentation will then be passed on to the Ministry of Education via their local Education Office or other competent body.
+ The Ministry of labour asks for the C Level certificate of greek language

So I'm starting to wonder if teaching is really the way to spend some time in Greece!

Hmm, looks like that's something new. Don't worry about it - if they enforce it the majority of non-Greek teachers won't be able to get licenses as most don't have any kind of formal Greek qualification. So I really doubt it will be enforced.

Yes, it is being enforced. Officials from the Ministry of Education have been visiting frontistiria and asking for a list of teachers and a copy of their licences.
Also it is worth getting a licence as some school-owners will take advantage of unlicensed teachers and use it as an excuse not to pay their IKA and tax.

Yes, it is being enforced. Officials from the Ministry of Education have been visiting frontistiria and asking for a list of teachers and a copy of their licences.
Also it is worth getting a licence as some school-owners will take advantage of unlicensed teachers and use it as an excuse not to pay their IKA and tax.

So, as far as I can tell unless you're fluent in Greek and can pass level C in the Greek proficiency exam (which is, as far as I can tell, pretty high level) as the law stands in Greece currently you can't get a teaching license to teach at the language schools? Is that right?

It's a horrible catch 22 situation - I only speak very basic Greek and I've just qualified with a CertTESOL. I wanted to go out there and teach, earn a basic salary and improve my Greek. But now I think that unless the EEC can get the government to change its ruling and the current law, there's just no way I can bag a job out there without a school taking advantage and not registering me for tax / IKA. I'd run the risk of having no health insurance, and the likelihood of being sacked if the Ministry hit the school and it's teachers.

I guess I'll just have to consign myself to teaching in another country - which is a real shame. Protectionism at it's worst.

No, you don't have to be proficient in English to live and work in the UK if you're an EU citizen and don't want to apply for citizenship.

I am in no way fluent in Greek but managed to pass the exam. You just have to study a lot, read newspapers and practice your written and spoken Greek.
The written exam is harder than the oral. In the written exam you are given a text and are asked questions on it and to provide synonyms for certain words. Then you have to write a 200 word essay on a related topic. The topic we were given in Sept 2008 was "What is the role of the EU in education in a globalised society?" A bit ironic really!
The book I used to study was 'Ekfrasi Ekthesi' - sorry for some reason I can't use greek letters on this site.
I hope that this helps.